Hauptmann

Hi Grant, This is a nice one. And also it's a military issued one due to the full ribbon. The civilian would have had the small rectangular ribbon. Nice catch! Dan

Dan

Hi all, Here's my latest document... from our fellow member Vitaly Kudinov (okudinova on Ebay). The pics are his as well and used with his kind permission. Many thanks my friend for both! Here's what was in his description but if anyone can add anything to this I'd be most grateful! Although Vic (Order of Victory) has indeed added that he was Ukrainian. Mucho thanks my friend! "Original Soviet reserve officer ID document. Issued to major Komarov Grigoriy Vasilievich on November 25, 1967. Born November 25, 1914, graduated from Tula arms building college in 1938 and has served in different locations since then. During WWII the officer served in the Far East. Sent to reserve in 1958. Last entry is dated April 27, 2001 when the officer was confirred lt. colonel rank."

Hi all, Fascinating thread! I do hope it continues. So many beautiful bars! Here's my latest addition and my first painted bar: Note what looks like an imperfection on the bottom center of the right hand ribbon second row. It's not. It was a bit of grime that I easily cleaned off and now they look fantastic. But I don't have a scanner here to do new shots of it. These seem a bit smaller than the other Soviet ribbons I have. These are about a inch across for a total of three inches across the top row, etc., and only an inch from top to bottom. Perhaps it's just that I don't have any others with me to compare with them but they seem smaller. But they are very well constructed and the colors are still quite nice. Any ideas on the time period on these? The photos (and the ribbons) are courtesy of our fellow member Vitaly Kudinov (okudinova on Ebay) who I've dealt with for several years now. He carries some great items. Check out his goodies if you have a chance. Many thanks for these my friend! I love them!!!! Here's hoping they're the first of many! Dan

Hi all, Was hoping some of my fellow members might be able to help me out. I'm on a working vacation down in north Florida not far from where I used to live. Been here since late May and won't be heading back till the end of the July. I'm looking for any militaria shops, antique stores, flea markets or surplus stores that generally carry DDR, Soviet or Soviet block militaria, specially Orders, medals and badges... although other items are always nice as well. I have access to lower Alabama and lower Georgia. I've just been up to Monroeville, Alabama and did manage to find MP Surplus not too far from Enterprise. But they're mostly uniforms and field gear. I'm hoping to get up to Moultrie Georgia as there are quite a number of antique shops up there. But no idea if they'll have anything like I'm looking for. Also looking to head over to Ft. Walton Florida before I head back and probably another trip up to Dothan at some point as well. Anyhow I'm hoping some of ya'll might be able to help me narrow down my search and make it worth the time and gas to head out on the prowl. I'm certainly open to any kind of militaria but mostly trying to stay focused on my Soviet/Soviet block collection and with smaller item I can carry back (by train) instead of having to ship. But if something really good pops up at a great price I do have to ship some items up to the house so I can always add a small bit to the pile if need be. Any help would be deeply appreciated. Dan

Hi all, Was hoping some of my fellow members might be able to help me out. I'm on a working vacation down in north Florida not far from where I used to live. Been here since late May and won't be heading back till the end of the July. I'm looking for any militaria shops, antique stores, flea markets or surplus stores that generally carry Soviet or Soviet block militaria, specially Orders, medals and badges... although other items are always nice as well. I have access to lower Alabama and lower Georgia. I've just been up to Monroeville, Alabama and did manage to find MP Surplus not too far from Enterprise. But they're mostly uniforms and field gear. I'm hoping to get up to Moultrie Georgia as there are quite a number of antique shops up there. But no idea if they'll have anything like I'm looking for. Also looking to head over to Ft. Walton Florida before I head back and probably another trip up to Dothan at some point as well. Anyhow I'm hoping some of ya'll might be able to help me narrow down my search and make it worth the time and gas to head out on the prowl. I'm certainly open to any kind of militaria but mostly trying to stay focused on my Soviet/Soviet block collection and with smaller item I can carry back (by train) instead of having to ship. But if something really good pops up at a great price I do have to ship some items up to the house so I can always add a small bit to the pile if need be. Any help would be deeply appreciated. Dan

Hi all, I'm on a working vacation down in north Florida. Was just up in Alabama poking around and found some binocs at a surplus store just outside of Enterprise Alabama. I'm hoping someone could confirm but I'm fairly sure they're Bulgarian. I found these pics on the web which are pretty much what I saw. Can anyone tell me if they are Bulgarian as opposed to Soviet? All the writing on them and the instruction manual, etc., are all in cyrillic. The lady I spoke with said she could sell them for $60 but after we chatted a bit she volunteered that she'd check with the owner and see if perhaps they could do better. As much as I'd love a set of Soviet binocs with the star/hammer/sickle on them if these are Bulgarian I figured if I could get them for a really good price it couldn't hurt as I do collect Bulgarian items as well. They all seemed very complete with case, accessories, manual, etc., and they had five or six of them if I remember correctly. So if anyone could help me nail down if these are indeed Bulgarian I'd deeply appreciate the help. Many thanks, Dan

Sorry all... I'd forgotten to post that the troddel was sold a good while back. Many thanks to the buyer! Dan

Now that's one I've not done yet... for some reason I just never thought about it. Let me know what the going rate is as you never know when it might come in handy. Dan

Hi Kevin, Naw! I'd just kicked the tires (and that's saying alot with a tank... alot of tires to kick! ) and was considering when they told me it didn't have a tape deck or CD... or heat... or AC... or leather seats... or power windows and locks... well, the list goes on. So I passed. Besides... gas mileage was not all that great either! Seriously though many thanks for the compliment on the pics. Nice thing is if I ever want to build one in model form I can go up and get all the closeup pics, etc., and any info off of it I need to make a really nice duplicate of it. I'm hoping at some point to find out who is in charge of it... probably someone at the vets club... and see if it's possible to get access to the inside as I"d love to get pics of that too, to include the engine compartment/engine, etc. Would love to document it as thoroughly as possible. But it sure is a great old machine. The stories I bet it could tell. Dan

Well Ed... "budget"... beg, borrow or at times... spend all that's in the account and then run for the couch and chair cushions, loose change in the drawers, in or under car seats... etc. And then if need be offer partial or full trades, first born male child or just about anything that's not welded down if it'll help make the deal for one more "precious" to add to the pile. But hey... it keeps me off the streets. Dan

Oh I know... it's a race against time with some of this stuff. I'm hoping within the next couple of months that things will change drastically for the better $$ wise and I'll be able to seriously dive on on several things such as the GD and get them while the gettin' is good. Dan

Hi Bob, Many thanks! Still going to be a while budget wise before I can jump on one. Dan

They seem to keep everything well maintained and looking battle ready. So far our city of Carrington doesn't have any military vehicles, etc., for a Vet's memorial. No idea how such things are obtained but I sure would love to see us get something or other at some point. We've had folks serving for a looooooong time. But I think New Rockfords memorial is very nice and a great place to stop and reflect on the services and sacrifices of our vets in all wars. Dan

Hi all, On our 23rd Anniversary Kim and I went over to New Rockford and had dinner at a steakhouse there. Then we went over to the Vet's memorial as I'd been wanting to get some pics there for the last couple of years or so. Figured I'd share them as there's a couple of pieces that I'm sure will be of interest.

Hi all, Finally got the new pic downloaded: Dan

Hi all, Actually I'd posted this in the Lounge a while ago: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=17607 The prices are insane to say the least. For me I'm guessing it would be cheaper to drive up to Canada and mail out via Canada Post... as crazy as that might sound. Apparently lots of folks here have done that for years. Dan

Hi Gents, Here's the scoop on the ribbons. When the left part of the ribbon all but covers the right one that's generally for non-military forces like police, etc. Whereas the ones with the right part of the ribbon all but covering the left are for the military services. Dan

Hi Explorer, First off, welcome to the club! Secondly, I tried to view the image and it took forever to load. I hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty, copied it over to my system, resized it so it would fit and am reposting it here so it'll be quicker for other members to see: Hope this helps. They look like terrific pieces. My favorite color is green so they definitely have my vote! Dan

This explains the fall of communism! They didn't have crazy glue. They just went to pieces and could not repair the damage as efficiently as the west who have tons of crazy glue on hand at all times for just such emergencies. Seriously though... some terrific pieces. Absolutely love any and all of the cased sets and that Miners medal from 77 on is outstanding! Dan

Hi Charles, Terrific pieces and great finds! You do have the luck of the Irish when it comes to finding goodies like this. And don't feel bad about having to let the DKIG go... I've seen quite a few of those over the years although never in the earlier type case... either no case or the plastic type like I have. But you'll definitely be able to get another down the road if you wanted one. But the RK's... most of what I see are the later junk on Ebay and such. Another terrific addition to your collection! Can't wait to see it in person when you're back in the states. Congratulations my friend!!!! Dan

Hi Christian, Just wanted to pop in real quick on this one. Riker Mounts are trays, generally made of heavy cardstock (cardboard), usually black in color, although they are also made with plastic now, with a glass top. They were originally used in scientific collections, like butterflies and insect specimens. But later became popular as a way to display many different types of collectibles. I'm sure you've seen tons of them but just knew them by a different name, as they are very popular among those who deal at flea markets, shops and shows. Hope this helps. Dan